Cash Warren Is the First Dad to Talk Balancing Fatherhood and Work

Cash Warren has taken dad style to a whole new level. The 36-year-old entrepreneur and father of two with wife Jessica Alba launched a dad-kid sock set line called Pair of Thieves last year and has been rocking social media with his matching styles ever since.

This month, the company, which he co-founded with two fellow dads, launched a separate kids-only collection alongside the already popular dad-kid sets at Target. (And did we mention they design underwear, too?)

We caught up with Warren, who reminded us just how much stuff is out there for moms and their kids. He also chatted about dad fashion, girl power, and balancing work and fatherhood. (Yes, men have to do it, too.)

What a fun line of socks for dads and kids. What inspired you to create Pair of Thieves?

Me and my two founders, Alan (Stuart) and David (Ehrenberg), we're all fathers. We looked out there and realized
there wasn't a lot of stuff for dads and their kids. There's tons of stuff out their for moms
and their kids, and especially moms and their daughters. I didn't have
anything really fun and cute that I could do with my daughters (Honor and Haven), so we came out
with a dad-kid matching set. We made it "kid" instead of a "son" or "daughter"
because we wanted you to be able to wear them with either gender.

You and the other Pair of Thieves dads look like you're having lots of fun on social media. How do you guys get any work done?

We're all old friends—one of the partners and I have
known each other since 8th grade. And then the other one, they went
to college together. One of the things that we
wanted to do in building Pair of Thieves and the brand is infuse it with this youthful sensibility and a fun energy and a fun vibe, because, truthfully, socks and underwear can be considered a boring product
category. So it was like, "How do we make sure that we bring new energy and
a humorous sensibility to this category, but at the same time make sure we're
delivering quality product?"

You and your wife are both entrepreneurs. Do you give each other business advice?

Yeah, we definitely do, and we help each other as much as possible. We have a lot of respect for each other. I won't speak for her, but I'll say I have a ton of respect for her and her opinion, and I think that she's incredibly smart. We definitely help each other and support each other, give each other advice.

Which of your sock designs do your daughters love best?

Even though the kids' line alone is sold in the boys'
section at Target, I do put my daughters in them. They love the stripes.
There's a black-and-white striped sock that's really, really cute, and so they
love that one. They love the pink and navy blue—we call it Rain—so they love
that one as well.

Have they said, "Dad,
I want to design my own"?

My oldest, who's 7, could easily design. She has a great style sensibility. She helps me get dressed. I'm like, "Does this match?" And
she's like, "No, it doesn't, Dad." Whereas the 4-year-old is just 4.

That's a good idea for our next collection—having our kids
help us design them!

How do you promote girl power at home?

If there's one quality I'd love my daughters to have throughout their lives, it's self-confidence. What we try to do is lead by example. They've got a mom who is an incredible role model for them. She really walks the walk, and she shows them that you can accomplish anything. We both share that view of the world: Let's go try to move mountains.

A lot of moms are
asked about the juggle, but how do you balance fatherhood and work?

I'm happy you're asking me, because I think women get asked
that question in unfair amounts versus men entrepreneurs, and I do think that
balance of family and work is something that both Mom and Dad have to worry
about.

For me, it's about quality time, and when I'm with my kids, I'm with
them, and I'm not distracted by emails or phone
calls. I'm really attentive and there with my kids. When I'm at work, I'm
working. I try to separate as much as humanly possible, so that way it doesn't
all blend into the same time. Kids need your undivided attention, and they
don't understand why you need to go to work. They don't get that, so it's about
making sure that they feel that love and support.

I do think that balance of family and work is something that both Mom and Dad have to worry about.

What do you consider to be the top dad fashion faux pas?

There are so many! The worst dad styles, I think, are
the ones where you see grown men still dressing like they're teenage boys. That
to me is just like death. I still want to have a youthful vibe and spirit to choose
my outfits, but I'm very much cognizant of the fact that I'm a dad now and I can't
wear the same sorts of clothes that I once did.

What's your advice
for moms and dads who want to start their own business?

I started my own company when I was 24 years old,
and I got the bug and have been doing it since. I
always try to surround myself with people that are much better at stuff than I
am, and if I can convince someone who's extremely talented to join me and help
me execute, then it's worth it and I pursue it wholeheartedly.

There's really
nothing that you can do solely on your own. You always need help, so that's my
advice: Build out a team that can really help you execute. Identify your
weaknesses, and your strengths, and try to hire people or partner up with
people who can help make up for your weaknesses.